Sports Commission Harnesses Enthusiasm for Winter with Snow Disc Golf

Maybe the Winter Olympics have made people crave being out on the snow. Maybe people are just housebound and stir-crazy with cold weather. Whatever the reason, Erie Sports Commission has lassoed the drive and put it to work.

In Erie, the Fairview Parks and Recreation will host its first-ever Ice Chains Open Disc Golf Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 19 at the Pleasant Ridge Park Disc Golf Course.

According to Emily Biddle, the new VisitErie Director of Marketing and Research, the tournament was a logical next step.

“Winter is a great time of year to experience the outdoors and participate in activities that can be done all year round. We wanted to showcase the course and the park in the winter months, as it provided a beautiful setting. Not only that, having the event in the winter adds some unique challenges to the sport of disc golf.”

Something that makes the event unique is that it is open to players of all skill levels – something that will likely appeal to those just itching to get outside.

And maybe, just maybe, adds Biddle, those newbies will return in warmer weather since “the course sees play at all times of the year.”

“Our new 18-hole disc golf course is one of the best in the region, and Fairview Parks and Recreation and the Lake Erie Disc Golf Club are excited to welcome new players to try it out,” said Nate Millet, Director of the Fairview Parks and Recreation Authority. “The course highlights many unique features of Pleasant Ridge Park. Players will be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this course and the park, particularly in winter.”

Event organizers are hopeful the event will attract 75 registrants, says Biddle.

Players will participate in two 18-hole rounds, the first starting at 9 a.m. Three divisions will be available, one each for advanced, recreational and beginner players. Trophies will be awarded for first place in each division.

There are also low barriers: Registration is $25 and includes lunch and a T-shirt. It also has a feel-good vibe that might help newcomers to the sport overcome any hesitation: Participants who bring five non-perishable food items to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwestern Pennsylvania will receive two mulligans, one for the first round and one for the second.